Lake--Deep, Soft, Drainage

Definition

General natural community overview

Lakes that are Large (>10 acres), Deep (> 18 feet), Soft (alkalinity < 50 ppm), and Drainage (both an inlet and outlet, and the main water source is from streams).

The submergent communities in soft water deep drainage lakes are quite diverse and plants are abundant. Coontail (Ceratophyllum demersum), common waterweed (Elodea canadensis) and fern-leaf pondweed (Potamogeton robbinsii) occur abundantly, and a number of other pondweeds such as large-leaf pondweed (P. amplifolius), variable-leaf pondweed (P. gramineus) and small pondweed (P. pusillus) can be found in high quality examples where water clarity is moderate to high. These diverse assemblages of aquatic macrophytes provide excellent habitat for fish, macro invertebrates, and other wildlife. Associated fish species include northern pike, rock bass, smallmouth bass and yellow perch, with cisco appearing in very deep lakes.

Rare animals

Species of Greatest Conservation Need

The following Species of Greatest Conservation Need are listed according to their level of association with the Lake--Deep, Soft, Drainage natural community type, based on the findings in Wisconsin's 2015 Wildlife Action Plan.

Rare plants

The Natural Heritage Inventory has developed scores indicating the degree to which each of Wisconsin's rare plant species is associated with a particular natural community or ecological landscape. This information is similar to that found in the Wildlife Action Plan for animals. As this is a work in progress, we welcome your suggestions and feedback.

Major (3 on map)A major opportunity for sustaining the natural community in the Ecological Landscape exists, either because many significant occurrences of the natural community have been recorded in the landscape or major restoration activities are likely to be successful maintaining the community's composition, structure, and ecological function over a longer period of time.

Important (2 on map)Although the natural community does not occur extensively or commonly in the Ecological Landscape, one to several occurrences do occur and are important in sustaining the community in the state. In some cases, important opportunities may exist because the natural community may be restricted to just one or a few Ecological Landscapes within the state and there may be a lack of opportunities elsewhere.

Present (1 on map)The natural community occurs in the Ecological Landscape, but better management opportunities appear to exist in other parts of the state.

Threats/Actions

What are conservation actions?

Conservation actions respond to issues or threats, which adversely affect species of greatest conservation need (SGCN) or their habitats. Besides actions such as restoring wetlands or planting resilient tree species in northern communities, research, surveys and monitoring are also among conservation actions described in the WWAP because lack of information can threaten our ability to successfully preserve and care for natural resources.